[JoeScrivens]

Hi there,

I purchased the HS100 last year and have been really dissapointed with it's low light performance, the noise on the picture is really poor.

I've read that the HS300 is much better in this department. Is there anyone on here who has bought the HS300 after owning a HS100 and can confirm the noise level problem has been considerably imporved in low light from the HS100?


many thanks

Joe

[daveb975]

I can't comment on the difference, but I have just got an SD200 (HS300 without HDD and manual controls) and the initial low light footage has been very disappointing.

I had seen some very good reviews of the 200/300 series' performance in low light, so I was a bit surprised that it seems as bad as it is. I was recording in a relatively well-lit environment, but then tested the footage on a 46" TV.

On paper, the 2009 models should provide better low light footage as the sensor size has been increased from 1/6" to 1/4.1", but hopefully someone who has had experience of both will be able to tell you.

[JoeScrivens]

Originally Posted by daveb975

I can't comment on the difference, but I have just got an SD200 (HS300 without HDD and manual controls) and the initial low light footage has been very disappointing.

I had seen some very good reviews of the 200/300 series' performance in low light, so I was a bit surprised that it seems as bad as it is. I was recording in a relatively well-lit environment, but then tested the footage on a 46" TV.

On paper, the 2009 models should provide better low light footage as the sensor size has been increased from 1/6" to 1/4.1", but hopefully someone who has had experience of both will be able to tell you.

So your HS200 isn't as good as this then:

YouTube - Low Light Test Panasonic HDC-HS 300 Full HD

this was very impressive, much better than my HS100 which is full of noise.

[daveb975]

Originally Posted by JoeScrivens

So your HS200 isn't as good as this then:

YouTube - Low Light Test Panasonic HDC-HS 300 Full HD

this was very impressive, much better than my HS100 which is full of noise.

No! That is very good, and I would be more than satisfied with it. I will try and get a clip of what I have taken up.

I just watched that full screen (24" iMac) but might try it again later on my main TV and see if it makes much of a difference.

[JoeScrivens]

Yeah I watched it too on the same computer as you,
I've ordered it on amazon to try out and will send it back if it's no good. Hopefully I'll be pleased and can sell my HS100

[JoeScrivens]

Originally Posted by daveb975

No! That is very good, and I would be more than satisfied with it. I will try and get a clip of what I have taken up.

I just watched that full screen (24" iMac) but might try it again later on my main TV and see if it makes much of a difference.

I got the camera today and at first was dissapointed that it was just as bad as my hs100, but then I found the magic setting. Colour night mode. In less that adequate lighting if you choose colour night mode it clears up the noise a treat and produces really sharp images, I'm very pleased with the results.

[daveb975]

Originally Posted by JoeScrivens

I got the camera today and at first was dissapointed that it was just as bad as my hs100, but then I found the magic setting. Colour night mode. In less that adequate lighting if you choose colour night mode it clears up the noise a treat and produces really sharp images, I'm very pleased with the results.

Thanks so much for posting that! I had left mine in iA mode as I understood it would adjust automatically. I was going to delve into the the manual modes tonight.

Do you think that you are getting quality on a par with the clip you posted before? I am quite excited that this might sort out the problems I am having, but don't want to get my hopes up too much!

[JoeScrivens]

Originally Posted by daveb975

Thanks so much for posting that! I had left mine in iA mode as I understood it would adjust automatically. I was going to delve into the the manual modes tonight.

Do you think that you are getting quality on a par with the clip you posted before? I am quite excited that this might sort out the problems I am having, but don't want to get my hopes up too much!

It's hard to say as I don't know exactly the light that was available in that shot but at a low lighting level in my living room I got HD quality with no noise at all.

You can't go too dark with the color night mode because things start to go strobe like but it's definitely a huge improvement on the HS100 at the same lighting.

The best thing to do is hook it up to your TV using HDMI and then play with all the settings in a less than optimum light until you find out what works best for what light types